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On The Side

Side projects offer more to listen to from members of great bands while usually showcasing what they are musically capable of from a different perspective. Same great artists with a new and interesting sound to dive into. This is a great way to see talented artists grow and explore new genres, while keeping the initial bands intact.

In celebration of some of these great side projects from some really talented artists I have compiled some of my favourites to share:

River Oaks

From Silverstein frontman Shane Told comes River Oaks. A paired down but thought-provoking slower sound than what we are use to from Silverstein. If you like this song check out my full review of River Oaks here.

Vocal Few

Vocal few brings together their husband and wife duo, Matt and Kristie MacDonald. Matt is the lead singer of The Classic Crime. Together Matt and Kristie have built a folk duet with some very personal lyrics. Click here for more on Vocal Few.

Thief Club

From the members of Hit The Lights comes a couple of new side projects. While vocalist Nick Thompson is currently pumping out more great pop/punk tunes with Thief Club, drummer Nate Van Damne and guitarist/vocalist Kevin Mahoney are involved in a hardcore project named Holy War (check out their album here). These are very different projects, but both allowing the artists to branch out and explore their craft. Check out a track from Thief Club below!

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties

Frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell from band The Wonder Years hits us with this side project from a totally new perspective. Dan wrote this album like a book from the persona of fictional character Aaron West. The album covers the worst year of Aaron’s life from start to finish, covering a gambit of topics but never feeling too heavy to handle. It is still hard to believe that Aaron is fictional based on the amount of detail and emotion that Dan is able to pack into each song. Check out a song below and head over to my full article to find out more.

Anthony Raneri

This self titled side project comes to us from the lead singer of band Bayside. In this side project we still get the Anthony we have come to know, but with a much more personal and calm tone. These songs are about him and his experiences directly, without the cover of having them need to relate to everyone listening. This is a great pairing for any Bayside fan or anyone looking for some great acoustic music.

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These are just a few of the great side projects to explore. Check them out and share your favourites in the comment section below.